Description

Body length 14 - 16mm. A yellow and black species where the sexes are very different from one another. The male can be identified as it has yellow on the first three segments of the abdomen and then black. There are several other similar species but they have black on the first abdominal segment. The female has more black stripes on the yellow abdomen.

Habitat

The adults feed on nectar, normally from umbellifers. The larvae are internal parasites of butterfly and moth larvae.

Status and distribution

The status of this species is not well known, probably due to the difficulty of identification. There are few records with most coming from the Midlands. Uncommon in Nottinghamshire and recorded twice at Netherfield Lagoons.

Best time to see

April to September.